ROCK HILL—Each
fall for the last 49 years, York Tech has opened its doors to new and
returning students continuing their academic journeys.This year, the doors opened to a new breed of college freshmen.
The inaugural class of
Presidential Scholars – 24 of the region’s best and brightest high
school graduates – began taking classes with the start of the Fall 2013
semester.

Presidential Scholars is an enhanced
academic program for high-achieving, university-bound students
beginning their studies at York Tech.Along with complete tuition and book
scholarships, Presidential Scholars receive a host of other exclusive
benefits,
including an
Apple®
iPad®,
designated faculty mentors, and leadership and cultural activities.

The iPads, distributed mainly for use in computer science courses, are
coming in handy in other classes as well.“They’re going to use them in speech class,” says Martin Grant,
Program Advisor.“They
record one another giving presentations, play it back, critique and
give feedback, vastly improving their verbal communication skills.”

The Scholars are also already starting to plan community service
projects, completing 20 hours of service by next spring.Many of those hours will be completed through organizations the
students are already affiliated with, but some will be completed as
part of coursework.
Planned is a Catawba River Sweep effort, a trip to the Magnolia Manor
nursing home in Rock Hill, and a visit to a local soup kitchen, which
will also meet an assignment objective for the Scholars’ first-year
psychology class.

One of the most unique aspects of the program is the cohort style
class schedule.Scholars
in their first year of study are on a specific track and take all of
their classes together.
Presidential Scholar Program Advisor, Martin Grant, says the benefits
of a cohort program go far beyond the practical aspects. “Students
work in ‘success teams.’
They collaborate on projects with one another that will carry over
into other classes.”

Among the goals set for 2014 is a plan to double the size of the
program to include 48 students, allowing for two cohorts of 24
Scholars each.